ITALY.

Evening Post, Issue 117, 26 June 1865, Page 2

ITALY.

Milan, sth March.— The first glaace at this great and flourishing LontbawU capital carries one back to the summSr qf *" 1859, the period between Magenta Jg^d Solferino, when the Milanese wHSFfljoicing at their deliverance from tiujAustrian, and, scarcely knowing how sufficiently to testify their exultation, hung out from every window the Italian tricolour and the Savoy cross. The same gay spectacle is now presensed by the principal streets of the city, and if the tints of the bunting are rather less right we must attribute that only to the service it has rendered since, and not look upon it as emblematical of faded illusions. The' King had no need to desire a better reception than he has had. On ha arrival he was met with an enthusiastic greeting and since then, when he has appeared in public, as on Friday at La Scala, there was no falling off in the cheers and handclapping with which it is here the practice to welcome popular Royalty. The whole audience rose, and the applause seemed as general as it could be, more so than at the Turin Opera ten days ago, where, although the reception was extremely good, some part of the audience remained mute, either from indifference or discontent. The grand masquerades at La Scala have been well attended ; numbers of strangers have poured into Milan and crowded the Corso. On Thursday and Saturday coriandoli were permitted ; on Friday they were prohibited, and people could go abroad and see the masks without being begrimed or blinded. In the opinion of many the practice of throwing coriandoli is a' very stupid and dirty one, and the Carnival would be much improved by its discontinuance. Probably it will not very long be a custom in Milan. The fun of throwing shovelsful of clay pellets and dust into the faces of all comers is not universally understood. Yesterday the Corso Vittorio Emmanuele was in a perfect cloud of white dust. From the balconies, and from carriages which carried sacks of ammunition, a constant fire was kept up. The better class of vehicles generally had a store of bonbons, with Avhich to bombard ladies of their acquaintance. Of course, many of those missiles fell short, and were scrambled for among the mob below. Three huge open cars, each containing a numerous band of musicians, drove up and down the Corso the whole afternoon. A party of masks on foot, armed with brushes and small brooms, caused some amusement by insisting on brushing everybody they met with. There were no good groups or costumes — nothing but the most commonplace disguises ; in that respect Turin has beaten Milan hollow this year, for in the former place there had really been a good, deal of paina taken to give spirit and originality to the Corso, and, moreover, as pelting was not permitted, everbody went out there, the ladies in their smartest dresses, best carriages, and newest liveries, and the sight was really a pretty one. Here there were no ladies, scarcely a woman of any class, in the vehicles, and those in in the balconies were too justly apprehensive of the dirt that was poured upon them to appear in any but their very worst attire. In the evening came the ball at the palace, to which between 4000 and 5000 invitations had been issued, and which was extremely well attended, although the admission of black coats rendered it less showy than Court balls usually are. There must have been quite 20 rooms open, some of them very large. Pre-eminent among them was the Hall of the Caryatides, where the dancing went on, and where at a very early hour of the evening the King and his suite appeared. It struck me as the handsomest room I ever saw. Crowded as it was, there was scarcely a possibility of forming a correct estimate of its dimensions, but eighteen enormous chandeliers were suspended from its ceiling, and there was considerable space around each one of them. From the gallery that runs round the room hung festoons of foliage, carved in wood and guilt, and supporting rows of waxlights. Besides these there are three distinct rows along the walls. A peison curious in such matters calculated that

there were about 2000 large wax lights burning in that dancing hall last night. The coup d'osil from the rooms which communicated by large doors with the hall was really fairylike. The blaze of light was empowering. In the gallery were spectators?* 1 consisting chiefly of plainly dressed persons ot classes inferior to those who would be invited as guests to the ball. No particular costume was stipulated as condition of admission to the gallery. There were boys in jackets, and young girls in plain muslin dresses, and soms uniforms, and a few priests. This attendance of spectators gave a peculiar character to the entertainment, and imparted additional interest and an mation to the scene. In several of the rooms last night opened to the guests were pictures of great merit and value, and also some recent paintings, episodes of the war of 1859. On a ceiling an apotheosis of Napoleon I. has been respected by the Austrians, probably by reason of the excellence of the painting. A bust of the same Emperor, by Canova, considerably idealized income respects, and not corresponding, as a likeness, with the most approved portraits in existence of him, stood upon a pedestal in the tearoom. Notwithstanding the very large number of persons present, the rooms were so spacious that there was never an inconvenient crowd > and only in t"he dancing-room was circulation difficult, and at times impossible. As early as 9 the Court had come and the saloons were very full, and at midnight .guests were still arriving. The King, his Ministers, including Delia Marmora, who was here on the previous day, the Princes of the Royal family, diplomatic corps, &c, were all in plain clothes, but there was a profusion of uniforms, both of the regular »rmy and the National Guard. — Time's Correspondent.